Love Runs Cold
by storiesofasiren
Summary: Jack's true role in Elsa's story, and what Elsa did as a result. A Jelsa story.
1. Chapter 1: How it all started

The month-old child had the eyes of her father and hair the shade of her mother's. The Queen smiled lovingly at the infant. "I love you Elsa," she murmured before placing a kiss on the infant's head and resting her on the nest of blankets in the elaborately carved cradle. It was a gift from a witch who also had a thing for wood carving in Scotland, and she'd owed the Queen a favor or two.

She shut the door quietly so as not to disturb the child. As soon as it was shut, the spirit crept out from the closet he had been hiding in during the Queen's presence. He gazed down at the small child, her chubby features and peaceful face.

Shoving aside the guilt he knew he'd be feeling later, he whirled his hand around above her, the magic flying from his fingertips in small flurries of ice. She'd been chosen for this. What she did with the gift would decide her future. He had no choice in the matter. The man in the moon had demanded that it be done.

The child opened her eyes, and he couldn't help but stare in shock. They were beautiful, a clear, frosty blue that seemed to pierce him like the ice he created on a daily basis. Her eyes seemed so wise for being so young. He hesitated for a moment before continuing.

"Elsa," he breathed as he watched his power settle over her. Her eyes widened for a moment, and her hair suddenly started to pale. It was no longer the dark brown shade her mother had, but a platinum blonde that was almost invisible against her fair skin. "You'll be able to do such great things with this gift," he murmured, meaning the words even though he wasn't sure where they came from.

She opened her mouth and he felt compelled to lean in closer as if she were about to tell him something very profound. Instead she let out a soft coo, and he felt a smile spread across his face. The sound of footsteps startled him out of his reverie. He saw a light under the door and he tugged his cloak more tightly around him as he took to the air, flying out of the window. The cold air swirled around him, the snow seeming drawn to him as he stared through the glass from outside. Although he knew the king couldn't see him, he still felt uncomfortable when people walked through him.

The King opened the door softly and stared lovingly at the child. Jack watched the whole thing from his perch on the windowsill. The king moved towards the crib, frowning when he looked down at his child. He reached tentatively down to cup her small head in his hand. Jack knew what the man was thinking. He was confused about his child's altered appearance. Jack sighed, twirling his staff in his hand before forcing himself to turn away from the scene.

He knew he would never see the girl again, so there was no point looking around. And yet, even though he told himself that, he couldn't help but look back at the window. It was the only one in the castle still on, and the only light seen for miles in the blizzard swirling comfortingly around him.

The man in the moon smirked. Jack had no idea how completely wrong he was.

**_ ~~Around Twenty Years Later~~_**

Elsa stared at herself in the mirror, wide-eyed. "What the hell was I thinking?" she mumbled, nervously tugging on her gloves. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. "I can do this."

Opening her eyes, she stood up straight and tried not to glance errantly at the candlestick she accidently froze. It was happening more and more recently. Moving to the doors, she flung them open, trying to look as regal as her parents had. She held onto whatever glimpse of control she had left. This was so not going to be easy. She knew Anna would try to get close to her again, and although she was afraid of losing her sister, she was even more afraid of hurting her again like she had when they were children.

She shook her head at the memory, shuddering as she flung open the doors to her room and began the prolonged trek down the hall leading towards the ceremony. Her curse, as she'd come to call her powers, was getting more and more unreliable. She was afraid that if she didn't learn to control it soon, she never would. Clenching her fists, she held her head high as she entered the large room. The crowd of people sitting in the beautiful hall made her falter slightly.

_"You'll be able to do great things with this gift,"_ she remembered a voice saying. Avoiding any and all eye contact, she made her way to the front of the room and to her fate.

"I sure hope you're right," she breathed, glancing at her sister. "Please be right."


	2. Chapter 2: How she handled it

Right was not the word Elsa would have used to describe that day. As she stood in her new home, gazing back at the castle she had once called home, she thought about everything she had just left behind: her country, her people, her sister…at least they were safe from her now.

She sighed, leaning against the railing of the balcony and putting her head in her hands. Icy tears froze on her cheeks, and she swiped them away irritably. What on earth had she been thinking? She could have killed Anna! She couldn't be so foolish as to do anything like that ever again. Her powers had to be kept as far away from people as possible. She would stay here.

Her coronation had been a disaster to put it lightly. It had all been going perfectly fine, too, until Anna had dragged over some guy she had just met, claiming they were going to get married. The man was a prince who had an insane amount of brothers, and would only use Anna. Elsa groaned, ice flying from her fingertips in icy shards as she voiced her aggravation. Married? What had Anna been thinking? Had she truly expecting her to be okay with something like that? They'd just met!

But at least Anna had been trying to do something with her life. At least she'd been trying to find love, something Elsa had deemed unobtainable for herself. Who could ever love her? She was a freak with ice powers that were completely uncontrollable. Maybe she'd been too harsh with Anna, but she didn't regret her decision. Her sister was too naïve to be able to handle that sort of relationship so young in life.

She wished that the person who had spoken those encouraging words to her so long ago would have had something else to say, anything else. What was she supposed to do with "you'll do great things"? She wished they'd told her how to do something useful, like control her "gift".

And now, because of that damned gift, she was completely and utterly alone inside a beautiful castle she'd made for herself. She stared up at the moon, tears forming in her eyes. She supposed it wasn't so bad being alone. The moon was alone. It was beautiful and strong…reliable. But it was still alone. It held power over the seas, signaled the bringing of night to her home, all by itself.

Upon closing her eyes, a glimpse of a face passed in front of her eyes. It was a handsome face, young, and pale. His eyes were as blue as the fjord in spring, and his hair almost glowed white. He had strong features, and a gorgeous smile...and that was all she remembered. Elsa frowned. Her dream guy didn't exist. No one had hair that white unless they were at least seventy. Eyes that blue could only exist in a fantasy. She would be alone forever, she was sure of it.

A strange feeling overcame her, like suddenly she wasn't entirely alone. She turned around, staring back inside questioningly. "Hello?" she called out before feeling foolish. She was the only person for miles. Shaking her head, she went to shut the doors to the balcony, but stopped when she was greeted with a strange sight.

"Snow? No," she whispered, reaching up to touch the odd substance that was floating in the air in front of her. Rubbing it between her fingers, she found it wasn't snow but sand. What the hell was sand doing all the way up here?

She suddenly felt faint. Reaching up to hold her head in one hand, she furrowed her brow. What on earth was going on? Was the dust causing this? How did it even get here? Had she done this? What if her powers had mutated and she was turning into an even bigger freak? Stifling a laugh, she instantly squashed that last idea. She was just getting paranoid now.

All questions were erased when someone dropped down in front of her from the ceiling. She gave a soft shriek before stumbling back. The small man looked like he was made from the sand that had made her feel so tired. He was smiling, and symbols were forming over his head, created from the dust. Elsa was sure she was hallucinating. He took a step towards her, and she took one back. He held up his hands, smiling at her again like he was trying to reassure her. More symbols formed over his head, faster and faster, and her lightheadedness increased. Finally a moon appeared over his head and she felt herself falling. Darkness overtook her, and pleasant images formed in her mind as she began to dream.

_The dream guy was standing in front of her, smiling softly, his blue eyes sparkling with humor. He laughed before he started saying something to her. She responded, having absolutely no idea what he had said or what she said in reply. He took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips and brushing his lips across her skin. She shuddered at his touch, surprised at how warm he was when his skin was so pale. When she looked back up at him, his face was leaning towards hers. She allowed her eyes to close, waiting for the feel of his lips on hers, when suddenly-_

Elsa jolted as she woke up. Staring up at the ceiling in confusion, she wondered at the dark wood. This wasn't the ice castle she'd created or her castle back at home. She was somewhere else, somewhere unfamiliar. Sitting tentatively, she stared blankly at the sparsely furnished room. Other than the large bed she was lying on, there was only a desk and an armoire shoved against the opposite wall. She slid languidly out of the bed, waiting for someone to jump out at her. A loud knock made her jump and she realized there were two doors side by side to her left.

Finding her voice, she managed a soft "who's there?"

A large, furry, something-or-other shoved the door open with a force that caused it to slam back against the wall. Elsa screamed, stumbling backwards. Loud footsteps hurried to the door, and the creature disappeared only to be replaced with three others. Only one of them looked human, and the sudden shock of the situation had her bracing herself against the wall. "Where the hell am I?" she gasped, unsure if she was talking to them or herself.

The sand-man from before appeared before her and she stifled another scream. He waved merrily at her before he blew a cloud of the sand in her face. She felt herself losing consciousness again, wondering if being alone was preferable to being wherever she was now.


	3. Chapter 3: Now it gets complicated

The next time Elsa woke, she opened her eyes to see one of the odd creatures that had stood in the doorway. She held her breath, eyes flying wide as she struggled not to scream aloud as it seemed to hover above her.

"Hi!" she chirped. Her—at least Elsa was assuming it was a her— face seemed relatively human, but the rest of her was covered in a plethora of feathers that ranged from forest green to bright yellows and blues and purples. She smiled down at Elsa, and Elsa tried to offer her an unsure smile in return. Her eyes lit up and her feathery hands were suddenly coming towards Elsa's face. "Oh! Your teeth!" she cried. Elsa immediately threw her hands up to ward off the creature's advance.

"Tooth!" a voice cried from somewhere else in the room. The creature stopped, pouted, and backed away. That's when Elsa noted the wings. She drew her knees up to her chest, scooting back in the bed until she was cowering against the headboard. Looking for the voice, she found an older man with long, white hair wearing a deep crimson shirt with suspenders. He was very tall and very broad, taking up a large amount of the doorway so that she couldn't see if there was anyone else behind him.

He too smiled at Elsa, but this time she wasn't able to reciprocate. "I, uh, apologize for the way in which we had to bring you here," he said in a very thick accent.

Elsa tried to focus on him, but her eyes kept flickering over to the flying, feathery creature that was still far too close for comfort. He noticed and laughed, the noise so loud that it startled her. "That's just Tooth! She's the Tooth Fairy," he explained. Elsa just nodded quietly, remembering that she used to believe in such things when she was a child. Seeing it now, she felt like she was about to pass out. The Tooth Fairy, according to everyone above the age of ten, was just a myth.

"My name is North," the man explained. She just nodded. North. Then he must be Saint Nicholas? She shook her head, now unsure of even more than she was before. She supposed if she could have ice magic powers that the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus could be real. The Tooth Fairy suddenly fluttered over, reaching out a hand to touch her hair.

"I love the color," she breathed. "Anyway, we're the Guardians. You probably have no idea what that means or who we are. We just protect people, mostly children, and we gain our power from those who believe in us. It's probably a shock seeing us now since most people your age don't believe in us anymore."

Elsa began to feel very guilty hearing Tooth's words, not hearing much past the first part. "Is that why you brought me here?" she asked softly, feeling ashamed of what she had allowed herself to become. "So that you could protect others, so I wouldn't hurt them?"

Everything made a lot more sense when she thought about it that way. They were the out-of-control-ice-princess police, and she was the threat. And now she was in jail.

Tooth immediately went to reassure her. "No, of course not! We brought you here because—!"

"Tooth!" North interrupted, giving her a stern glare. Tooth sighed dramatically. Elsa wondered at their looks. Maybe Tooth was about to reveal something they didn't want her to know? She had no clue. Honestly, all she did know was that Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy were real. She didn't even know where the hell she was or why.

"Fine!" Tooth complained. She took Elsa's hand, practically dragging her out of the bed and to the door. "You go talk to Jack, and I'll go introduce her to Bunny and the rest of my fairies."

Elsa felt even more confused as she was whisked out of the room. The Easter Bunny was real, too? This day was getting better and better…

~~Jack~~

Jack was pacing when North entered the room, Bunny and Tooth following closely behind. Sandy was already in the room, symbols flashing above his head in a quick succession that made Jack's head spin. "What is she doing here?!" he cried, turning on North after he shut the door. Jack had known the moment he saw the sleeping girl that it was the child he'd gifted with ice magic all those years ago, the same one he'd told himself he would never, ever see again.

"The Man in Moon told us to bring her here," North explained, crossing his arms and leaning against one of the wooden beams that made up his home.

Jack raked a hand through his hair, aggravated. "When he told me to give her those powers, I thought I was never going to see her again! What am I supposed to do now?!" he half-shouted. He knew, in the back of his mind, that he was being ridiculous. Why should it matter if the girl was here or not? Sure it was strange, but why was he getting so worked up about it?

Tooth gave him an odd look. "Why don't you just go talk to her, Jack?" she asked cautiously. "She's just a person."

Jack shook his head, frowning. "I just don't get why she's here," he grumbled, staring out the window as he traced icy patterns over its surface. Looking at what he drew, he frowned when he saw her face. it was like it was etched into his mind, and he angrily froze the rest of the glass so the others wouldn't see his masterpiece.

North looked at Jack pointedly. "The Man in Moon would not have told us to bring her here if he did not think she needed you." Jack rolled his eyes, still looking doubtful. North clapped his hand on Jack's shoulder, causing him to almost stumble under the force of the larger guardian. "Or if he thought you didn't need her either. Just have fun with it Jack. You do well."

Tooth fluttered forward, offering Jack a soft smile. "Sometimes we need someone like ourselves to help us better understand ourselves," she told him. Jack sighed.

"If I go out there and talk to her, will you all leave me alone?" Jack mumbled, tapping his staff on the floor irritably so that ice began to form on the dark surface. North shot him a chastising look, but Jack only managed to roll his eyes, muttering under his breath. He knew he was acting childish about it, and although he didn't want to admit it, he attributed it to nerves.

"We'll give it a good run, mate," Bunny offered. The Sandman just gave Jack a thumbs-up as an arrow pointing towards the door formed above his head.

Mumbling to himself and running his fingers through his hair, Jack reached for the doorknob. Pulling the door wide open, he found he could only stare in shock at the sight that greeted him.


	4. Chapter 4: Well this is awkward

Outside of North's rooms, Elsa was laughing while all the smaller fairies fluttered around her, playing with her new hairstyle and her new dress. It was much less conservative than she was used to, and she absolutely loved it. The icy blue fabric looked great against her pale skin and hair, and it felt amazing to finally let her hair down for once. She even allowed the ice to fly freely from her fingertips, watching in amazement as it morphed into snowy replicas of the small animals.

"Hi there," she breathed to one of them, feeling a genuine smile form on her face.

"Elsa," someone called from behind her. She turned around, the smile still on her face, only to have it vanish when she saw who was standing at the door to North's workshop. It was the guy. Like, _the_ guy; her dream guy. She opened her mouth to say something before closing it. She was completely speechless.

He seemed equally as speechless, and she shifted uncomfortably. One of the fairies landed on her shoulder, giggling. He was even taller than she'd imagined, though his features were almost exactly the same—maybe a little older, but otherwise exact. Pure white hair hung messily around his face, accentuating his clear blue eyes. He looked strong, not in a bulky way, but in a lither manner. His dark blue shirt clung to his chest and he wore long, dark pants.

"Um, hi!" she said, trying to sound confident.

He just stood there, and she felt her confidence waver. The others all looked at him expectantly. He blinked once and Elsa suddenly felt like running away. Her cheeks felt hot and embarrassment burned hotly in her veins. "Okay, well it was nice meeting you…" she trailed off as she felt everyone's stares boring into her. Awkward didn't even begin to describe the situation.

North shot him an annoyed look before pushing him forward. "H-hi, I'm Jack," he managed to get out, still staring at her like he'd seen a ghost. He ran a hand through his hair, looking down at the floor before meeting her eyes.

"I'm Elsa."

"Yeah I know," he breathed. He was quiet for a moment before his eyes went wide. "I…it's just, well, I saw you sleeping, I mean, I just—!" he shook his head, shooting the others a pleading look. "They told me."

Elsa tried desperately not to laugh at his floundering. It seemed he was just as nervous as she was. Elsa glanced between the five of them, the question she'd been longing to ask suddenly flying from her lips. "Why am I here exactly?" she inquired.

They all froze, and a bad feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Her face fell. Why exactly was she here? Was she in trouble? Were they-?

Tooth immediately moved forward, holding her hands out and interrupting her negative thoughts. "You're here because the Man in the Moon told us to bring you here. I'm assuming he knew you needed us somehow," she stated quickly.

Elsa still felt unsure. "The Man in the Moon?"

Jack was still looking at her like she had three heads and it was starting to make her feel uncomfortable. Tooth again was the only one to answer. Sandman kept flashing different phases of the moon over his head, grinning at her. "He's sort of like…the guardian of the Guardians," she explained. Elsa nodded slowly, still trying to come to grips with all of this.

Tooth fluttered over to her. "Come on. Let's get you situated." She took Elsa's hand and led her out of the room. Elsa glanced back to see Jack's eyes following her. When she made eye-contact with him, he quickly looked away. She could've sworn she saw a hint of a blush on his pale cheeks.

Later that day, after Tooth had explained everything to her the best she could, Elsa wandered about North's home. His workshop had overwhelmed her so much that she could only stay in there for a few moments before having to escape. At least she knew that the strange creature that had initially shown up at her door was harmless. They were everywhere in there, making toys, keeping watch over the elves, or doing other tasks within the home.

Instead she decided it was time to look for something to eat.

She walked from the huge room into where Tooth had told her the kitchen was. Everything was dark wood paneling. It fit North's personality well enough, she thought, smirking. And yet the sudden lack of being surrounded by people brought back the loneliness she had felt back in Arendelle. She bit her lip.

The sound of a door slamming behind her made her jump, ice shooting from her fingertips in jagged shards and gouging deeply into the cabinets. She clapped her hands over her mouth, staring in shock at the decimated wood. What on earth had just happened?

"Oh my god," she heard from behind her. Whirling around, she saw Jack standing there, glancing between her and her handiwork.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered frantically. "I-I didn't mean to. It was an accident."

Jack raised his hands, walking towards her carefully. She kept shaking her head, looking terrified. "Does that happen a lot?" he asked her slowly.

She nodded. "I can't control it. I've never been able to control it." Elsa felt sick. She couldn't even control her powers around people that were somewhat like her. Hell, he was Jack Frost. He probably thought she was an incompetent five-year-old with all the self-control she had over her own ice magic. Embarrassment mixed in with the fear and anguish.

Jack was standing right in front of her. She looked up at him sadly, not noticing his hardened features or soft blue eyes. "You should just take me back there so I won't hurt anyone here either," she murmured. Jack frowned for a moment before reaching up a hand to run his fingertips along her jaw.

"Do you want me to show you how to use your powers?" he asked softly, noticing how her eyes lit up at the idea. He smothered a smile at her elated expression.

Elsa, meanwhile, was envisioning an entirely new future, one where she didn't have to hide. "Really?" she asked breathlessly. Jack smirked and nodded. She held back the urge to jump up and down and clap her hands together. Instead, she did something even more humiliating.

In her excitement she wasn't thinking. She reached up on her toes and kissed him on the cheek before almost skipping out of the room, forgetting herself along with the food she had originally intended to get. Only when she reached her room did she realize what she'd done.

"Crap."

~~~Jack~~~

Jack felt like a statue as he sat on the counter in the kitchen. As shocked as he'd had been when she kissed him on the cheek, he was even more shocked by the darkness he saw swirling in her eyes when she was despairing. He knew it wasn't there because she was evil. Something—or someone—had infected her, and he had a pretty good idea who it was. That's why he'd made his offer. At least, that's what he told himself. His fast-beating heart told him otherwise.

But it explained everything. It explained her fear, her lack of control. _He_ was feeding off of her fears, using it to expand his powers again.

"Pitch," he growled, running his fingertips along his cheek where she'd kissed him. He'd be damned if he let that monster get the best of him, and he certainly wasn't going to let him hurt Elsa.


	5. Chapter 5: He started it and ended it

Jack never brought up the kiss on the cheek that had had her so rattled for the rest of the day. In fact, he acted like it never happened. She tried to forget, too, but found it more and more difficult with every day they'd spend together. Jack was funny, surprisingly smart, and that alone would have made her fall hard for him. The good looks were just a bonus.

And he was so patient. She couldn't remember a time when someone had been so patient with her.

"Just focus," he breathed into her ear. She held herself together, not willing to crumble at his closeness, his warmth.

Staring intently ahead, she concentrated on freezing the surfaces of the mirror set in front of her. It was small, and freezing the surface should have been easy. However, Jack's hand brushed against her back, and she started. Ice flew from her fingers, freezing the mirror too quickly and causing the reflective surface to shatter.

Jack cursed under his breath before immediately going to soothe her. "That one's on me, okay? I shouldn't have startled you like that," he reassured quickly. Elsa shook her head, tears springing into her eyes. She felt like such a baby, crying again, but she couldn't help it. She'd never be able to go back to her home or see Anna again at the rate she was going.

"No, it's my fault. I'm terrible at this. Why did I think I could do this?" she breathed angrily, smoothing her new dress down as she sorted through her thoughts.

Jack put his hand on her shoulder and she could feel his warmth radiate through her. It was strange, especially considering he was Jack Frost. She wasn't used to feeling warmth or cold. She was always just one temperature. He was making her feel, both emotionally and physically, and she wasn't sure if she was okay with that. She knew she felt drawn to him, was attracted to him, and it made her blush.

Looking shyly into his eyes she realized he was thinking the same things she was. She held her breath, and the silence formed an abyss between them.

"You can do this, Elsa," he mumbled, breaking into the moment they had shared, running his hand through his hair like he did when he was nervous.

Elsa shook her head, starting to turn away when he caught her hand. She frowned at him. "Jack, really, it's hopeless. I'm just not cut out for this."

Jack narrowed his eyes, surging to his feet suddenly. "Damn it! Stop underestimating yourself Elsa. You can _do_ this. I know you can!"

Elsa bit her lip, tucking her hand behind her ear nervously. "Jack, I've done a lot of bad things before because of my powers-!" she started.

She was silenced before she could finish her defense. His lips found hers, moving softly as one of his hands rested on her waist. The other cradled her head. Elsa froze for a moment before giving in and relaxing against him. Being held by him just felt so…right. She almost felt like he had drugged her. All of her worries had vanished when he started kissing her.

The sound of the door opening caused them both to jump back a good few feet. Tooth was hovering by the open door, Sandy right behind her. She looked shocked for a moment before smiling widely. A heart formed above Sandy's head and he grinned. "Oh!" Tooth exclaimed. "Sorry Jack, I didn't realize what you two were doing. We'll be leaving now!" She winked at Elsa.

Elsa dared to glance over to where he stood. Jack was suddenly rigid, his eyes cold. "It was a brief lapse in judgment," he said stiffly before walking swiftly out of the room they had been practicing in, not even bothering to acknowledge her.

Elsa suddenly felt hollow. No, she told herself, feeling hollow wouldn't have hurt like this. She felt more like someone had kicked her in the stomach repeatedly. What had she ever done to deserve being treated like that? She hadn't even initiated the kiss; that was all on him. So why was he acting so cold? She'd thought he had felt the same way about her.

Tooth was immediately in front of her, wings fluttering anxiously in her distress. "Elsa, I'm so sorry. We shouldn't have barged in on you two like that." Her eyes shone with guilt, and Elsa simply shook her head sadly.

"I don't blame you, Tooth. He would've felt the same either way, regardless of whether you had shown up," she muttered. Tooth wrapped her arms around Elsa's neck, holding her tightly.

"How about we go get something to eat and then see if North can take us to my home for the afternoon?" she suggested brightly. Elsa forced herself to smile.

"That sounds wonderful," she said honestly. She would do anything right now to keep her mind off of Jack. Maybe he was just toying with her. He wasn't actually interested in her, that much now was clear. He'd _made_ it clear.

She sighed as Tooth chattered on about her fairies and her palace, and to her surprise her thoughts didn't wander to a certain fair-haired, blue-eyed person that she'd forced herself to not think about.

The meal passed quickly and the trip to Tooth's was quick thanks to some strange snow globe or crystal ball type thing that North had. He offered her a sympathetic smile before they left, obviously having heard about the situation with Jack. She wanted to bury herself in her own snow she felt so embarrassed.

Tooth palace was gorgeous and the fairies were adorable, but Elsa couldn't shake how off she felt. She had allowed Jack Frost to get under her skin and into her hidden away heart. She'd accused her sister of falling in love too fast, and here she was falling for—

No, she thought firmly. She was not falling in love with Jack Frost. That was impossible. She barely knew him, had only really known him for a couple of days. She wasn't really in love, just like Anna wasn't really in love with that prince. Elsa took a deep breath, forcing him out of her thoughts and putting a smile on her face as her and Tooth enjoyed the rest of their afternoon.

Neither noticed the shadowy figure that stalked behind them.

~~Jack~~

He was lying in his bed, feeling angry and foolish all at once. Why had he kissed her? Why did he feel drawn to her? And why had he said those awful things to her afterwards? Now he was not only a confused mess, but a confused, asinine mess. He'd screwed up a lot of things in the past, but this took the cake. She hadn't deserved his wrath or condescension.

He'd made up his mind that he was going to apologize to her when North stormed in. To say he didn't look happy was an understatement. Jack gave him a sheepish look. "I know, I know. I messed up. I'm gonna fix it," Jack told him before North could say anything. He raised an eyebrow at Jack.

"How do you plan on fixing, Jack?" North asked irritably, his accent even thicker. Jack was surprised at the fatherly tone he heard.

Jack twirled his staff in his hands for a second before replying. "I'm going to tell her it was an accident, that it wasn't her fault and we can go back to being friends," Jack responded decisively. "I'll help her with her powers, but I don't want a relationship."

North crossed his arms. "Are you sure that's what you want, Jack?" he inquired, eyes dark. "Are you sure you don't feel anything for her?"

The question caught Jack off guard, and raised all sorts of questions that he didn't want to answer. He couldn't deny any longer that he did feel something for Elsa, but he couldn't bring himself to face it or act upon it right now. He was enjoying his eternal bachelorhood thus far, and he was afraid of commitment. There, he'd admitted it. Better to let her know now rather than later. Jack had changed since the whole Pitch incident. He'd matured in a lot of ways. He wasn't sure if he was willing to change even more to be with her. Being with someone to him felt like being tied down, and he reveled in his freedom.

North smirked, sensing his internal struggles. "She feels the same, Jack. Don't do anything stupid."


	6. Chapter 6: Darkness comes after all

Elsa was wandering around Tooth's palace when she suddenly felt uneasy. Turning around, she made sure she didn't see anything out of the ordinary before continuing on her stroll around the small pond in Tooth's home. She was admiring the mural on the wall when she felt a shiver of apprehension run through her. Something wasn't right.

"Elsa," an eerie voice whispered. She knew she wasn't imagining it. She felt watched. Eyeing her surroundings carefully she still didn't see anything. Panic engulfed her and she was about to call out for Tooth when she saw her shadow shift.

She hadn't moved, but her shadow had. A soft cry escaped her lips before she felt a presence behind her. Whirling around, she was greeted by a mass of darkness. She took an involuntary step back. Terror seized her, causing her voice to vanish. It was like being in the midst of a nightmare, only this was too real. The mass solidified, morphing into what appeared the silhouette of a man.

She was ashamed to say curiosity was thrown in amidst her emotions, but it was mostly fear.

"Why so afraid, Elsa?" the voice asked mockingly. It was definitely coming from the darkness. It sounded human. Almost. "I merely came to have a conversation with you."

"What are you?" Elsa demanded. She took another step back from it. It amassed itself further, and she could begin to make out its facial features. It was still far from appearing human, but she guessed that whoever it was had powers like she did; except theirs were powers that were dark. Very, very dark. "Leave me alone."

They chuckled. "No," they said simply. "I must say, you are even lovelier in person, though your fear has a very…unique taste to it. It's so much more satisfying than the usual brand if you get what I mean." The voice sounded male, cold, and sinister. Whoever this was had no qualms with fulfilling their promises, let alone their threats. He sounded eerily casual.

"What do you want?" Elsa asked, cursing the way her voice shook. He moved, as if he were striding about her in a circle, growing ever closer. He was a shark, and she was about to be dinner.

"Isn't it obvious, dear?" The cool voice laughed. "I want you to destroy them. I want each and every single one of the Guardians gone from this world. I want it for myself again, the way it was before…the way it _should _be."

He stopped behind her, and she felt it touch her. She held her breath, the freezing touch chilling her all the way to the bone. It was almost painful, and caused a deep ache to run through her shoulder. But she steeled herself, trying to find some sort of resolve. "I won't do it," she told him evenly.

"Oh, but you will," he mused.

She whirled, suddenly angry. She was a queen! She still had dignity and resolve even if she didn't have control over her damn powers. She wouldn't be domineered by anyone. "I don't think you quite understand me," she hissed. A new tone entered her voice. "I may not know who or what you are or what you aim to do here, but I will not listen to your petty demands and ludicrous requests. If you had any real desire to see your own nefarious plans through you would have done it yourself and not come to someone who would never commit such heinous crimes. If you are too cowardly or weak to even demonstrate such common respect then I suggest you do business elsewhere," Elsa snapped.

He moved in front of her again, and Elsa wished she could see his expression. She hoped she had offended him. "What a temper," he chuckled.

She fumed. That was the final straw for Elsa. She threw her hands out, hoping her powers would go wildly out of control and send huge shards of ice through his thick, seemingly non-existent skull. She was shocked when it did just that, only instead of impaling him, it sent him flying backwards. Elsa brightened, but her victory lasted only a moment before he moved again.

It vanished before appearing right in front of her. Her eyes widened and she had just raised her hands in self-defense when a jarring hit met her side with a loud crack, throwing her to the ground. She cried out in pain, rolling on to the side that hadn't just been struck. He was still coming for her and she prepared for the worst when out of nowhere a blinding flash of ice crashed into him, sending him back again.

Elsa gasped. It was Jack. He flew down from the sky, squaring off against the mass and avoiding its varied attacks. It seemed that Jack and whoever this was had met before, and obviously not in a friendly context. Elsa held her side firmly and hoped Jack came out victorious. The darkness began consuming her attacked, and she could no longer make out the human silhouette.

Jack slammed into the mass, throwing it back a good twenty feet. Elsa watched as it swirled darkly around itself for a moment before thinning out. Jack watched with his back turned to her, making sure it was all gone before he relaxed his posture.

"Elsa! Oh god!" Tooth's voice cried from behind her. Elsa turned, holding her side as she did. Tooth was there instantly, throwing her arms around Elsa's shoulders. She gasped as Tooth's weight slammed into her, but held back her cry of pain. "Elsa, I'm so sorry! Pitch did something to my fairies and I had to help them! I had no idea he came after you!"

She released me, and Elsa tried to smile. It came off more as a grimace. "It's fine, Tooth. You couldn't have known."

Tooth's wings fluttered in agitation. Turning, she caught sight of Jack for the first time. "Jack! Thank goodness. I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if you hadn't been here!" she hovered, obviously needing to go and attend to her fairies.

"It's fine, Tooth, you can go make sure they're alright," Elsa said softly. Tooth smiled at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly. She flitted away, leaving Elsa alone with the one person she really didn't want to be alone with at the moment. Well, Jack and the creepy thing that had just attacked her.

Jack had turned back around and was gazing around nervously. Elsa could sense a hint of protectiveness too as he seemed to survey their surroundings before starting towards her. Even though Elsa was doubled over and relatively certain that she had broken a rib or two, her heart started beating erratically at his approach. She mentally kicked herself. Jack didn't feel that way. She was being irrational.

When he reached them, he appraised her worriedly. "I'm fine," Elsa insisted, but he simply shook his head.

"You are definitely not fine, Elsa," he stated firmly. Elsa watched in shock as he moved her own hands from her side to run his softly over the skin there. She blushed hotly, and tried not to wince when he added a slight pressure. He frowned at her reaction. "We should get you back to North's place," he murmured.

Elsa still couldn't help but watch him in awe. She had never seen him act so _mature_ before. Of course she enjoyed him almost childlike mannerism that he usually exuded, but this side was equally as appealing. He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her good side against his hard chest. Elsa tried to control her breathing, not wanting to increase the damage any more. "Hold on," he breathed into her ear, causing her heart to flutter and her mind to try and shut off all emotion again.

With that Jack took off towards North's workshop, and Elsa's heart—not to mention her situation—just became all the more confusing.


	7. Chapter 7: The truth(s) comes out

Elsa had her eyes clenched shut until they landed. When she felt her feet touch solid ground, she quickly extricated herself from Jack's arms. She still hand her one hand pressed against her ribs. North, Bunny, and Sandy ran from the main room to outside where they stood. Tooth was probably still at her palace trying to clean up whatever mess had been created.

Sandy floated forward and took Elsa's hand. He offered her a reassuring smile which she returned uneasily. He led her over to her room and made her lay down on the bed. He went to work, different symbols and pictures flashing above his head as he worked on bandaging her ribs. For a moment she wondered why he didn't just project words. He would be much easier to understand. Regardless, she enjoyed the silence. It was an opportunity to think.

A house, a snowflake, and a question mark suddenly flickered over his head, and she grimaced. He wanted to know more about her. She thought it would be difficult talking about her past, or at least stressful, but apparently having a silent listener and having had very few people to talk to had driven her to a breaking point.

Everything came pouring out in a rush that both startled and relaxed her. Everything was out in the open now. She wasn't hiding anything.

When she finished she realized that Sandy had finished and was gazing at her sympathetically. "Sorry," she offered. He simply shook his head and patted her shoulder, a heart flashing above his head.

He had gone floating towards the door when she realized it was open and that Jack was standing there. He looked shocked, sad, and even a little guilty. She felt her cheeks blaze under his scrutiny. Sandy waved to Jack and disappeared out the door.

"How are you feeling?" Jack asked her, leaning his staff against the wall as he came to sit by her.

"Better, I guess. Still not great, but I suppose that's to be expected," she replied quietly, not meeting his gaze. "What happened down there Jack?" He knew what he was referring to, the giant black mass or person or whatever it was that had attacked them.

He took a deep breath, leaning against the bedpost before telling her everything. He told her a lot more than she necessarily needed to know, but she now had an idea of who Pitch was and what he was capable of doing.

"All of those children…" Elsa breathed when he was done.

Jack nodded. "I know. We can't allow him to do anything like that again." He was so serious that it even made her nervous. After being with the Guardians for even a short amount of time, she'd come to find that Jack was by far the most rambunctious of them all.

Elsa felt something cold and unforgiving tear at her heart. "He was trying to use my fear, and my powers, as a weapon, Jack. He knows that I'm out of control, and he wants to use that to hurt people!" Her voice shook as she spoke and Jack longed to hold her, to comfort her, to do anything. He was afraid of hurting her again. After hearing her story, he found he wanted nothing more than to make sure she never went through anything like that again.

But first he had to tell her the truth. He had to rid himself of this nagging guilt that was festering inside him.

Jack swallowed nervously. "Elsa…your powers…you only have them because of me." He had to practically force himself to get the words out.

Elsa shook her head, not understanding that his words were completely truthful. She thought he was simply trying to shoulder the blame himself. He gripped her arms tightly. "Elsa, listen!" she froze, staring at him wide-eyed. "When you were born, only about a month or two after, I gave you your powers. It was me."

He tensed, waiting for her to fly off the handle, to scream and rave at him, but it never happened. Instead she did something he didn't suspect at all. She burst into tears.

"I-I can't go back there ever, can I? It's hopeless. I don't have any control. Damn! This is why I went off by myself. This is why I _should _be by myself. That way I can't hurt anyone anymore!" she cried, turning away from him and towards the window. She winced as a stabbing pain ran through her side. Though Sandy had done a well enough job with them, they still hurt.

Jack felt helpless for a moment. He suddenly hated himself for what he'd done to her, and what he hadn't done to help her. "Elsa I'm so sorry," he told her earnestly. Her shoulders were hunched, partly in despair and partly from the pain she was feeling.

She started when she felt his hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him with sad eyes. "I'm not mad at you, Jack. You gave me these powers, but my decisions caused all of this to happen. You couldn't have done anything," she said softly, looking down at the ground. "You didn't turn me into the monster I've become." The duke's accusations echoed in her mind.

Shaking his head, he pulled her closer, being careful of her ribs. She felt a myriad of emotions swirl within her, some good, some bad. Jack's eyes looked wild for a moment before she suddenly found he was growing nearer. His face was getting closer to hers, and just like last time he'd kissed her, she decided she was okay with it. She was more than okay with it. She cared about him, deeply, and in that one moment she didn't care if he reciprocated anything. She just wanted to kiss him.

As his lips found hers, his arms wound around her waist. Her breath caught as he pulled her flush against his body, still careful of her ribs. He kissed her feverishly, as if he would never get this moment back, and for a second she felt a flash of fear that he would pull away and abandon her again like last time. It lasted only a moment before she relaxed into him, kissing him back with equal passion.

She suddenly felt very warm, a feeling that was strange to her. Jack pulled away, a small smile gracing his lips. Pressing a brief kiss to her forehead, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly to him. "You're not a monster, Elsa. Stay with me tonight," he pleaded quietly. She wasn't sure she heard him correctly at first.

She lifted her head from where it was resting on his chest to stare at him in shock. "Jack, I—" she started. She felt her cheeks warm again.

He grinned wryly. "I don't mean like that Elsa. I just don't want to let you go yet."

She felt tears sting at her eyes. She hugged him tightly and kissed his chest right over his heart. "Okay," she whispered.

"You can rest now, snowflake, I've got you."


	8. Chapter 8: The real fun starts

"It's just for a little while, Elsa," Jack mumbled, running his fingers through her silky hair. In truth he wasn't too happy about this arrangement either, but she had to be in her ice castle to meet her sister. They couldn't have an entire kingdom coming to look for her if she was here. That would cause even more trouble.

And Pitch was troubling them enough right now.

Elsa sighed, leaning into his touch. She knew she should trust him, but she was still terrified of herself. "I know. I'm just afraid I'm going to hurt her again. I don't think I could live with myself if I did that," she breathed, shivering at the thought.

Jack rubbed his hands along her arms. "You'll be fine, snowflake." She smiled at his use of her nickname. She loved it. She only hoped that he was right. She was so terrified of losing Anna that she almost couldn't control it at all sometimes. She bit her lip, nodding before pressing her lips briefly to his. He gripped her tightly for a moment before retrieving his staff and returning to her side.

"Ready?" he asked her, wrapping her tightly in his arms.

"Let's do this," she said determinedly.

"That's my snowflake." Jack took off, holding her close to him as they soared back to the North Mountain. She kept her eyes shut the whole way.

…

That had been a few days and now Elsa was in a panic. "Conceal…don't feel…" she kept muttering to herself. Her encounter with Anna had gone horribly awry. She had let her fears get the best of her. She had hurt her sister again, though she wasn't' sure how. Anna had been with Olaf and some other guy, and she had just lost it. She'd even sent some monster to get rid of them because she didn't trust herself to do a good enough job without hurting all of them in some way. Frozen tears streaked across her face. She felt sick. She was a monster.

"Elsa?"

The sound of Jack's voice caused her to brighten considerably. She tore out of the room she was in and towards the main hall. She needed him to help her again. She had control around him, and she wasn't sure if it was because she liked him or if it was because they were the same. Regardless, she needed help if she was ever to return to a semblance of normalcy.

She stopped dead when she saw a dark figure standing in the middle of her castle. "Who are you?" she demanded, surprised her voice didn't waver. She had a bad feeling forming deep within her. Whoever this was wasn't—shouldn't have been able to get in here. They had to have had magic of some sort to enable them to do such a thing.

The man strode forward. He was tall, intimidatingly so, and had dark hair with pale grey skin. He wasn't pleasing to look at. The power he emanated was dark, and her thoughts immediately went back to the dark force that had attacked her at Tooth's palace.

"It's you," she breathed. Realization brought with it both fear and understanding.

"You're going to have to be a little more specific, dear," he drawled with a slight British accent.

"Pitch," she said, wrinkling her nose. Even the taste of his name on her tongue was revolting. He simply smiled back up at her, clasping his hands behind his back as he began striding around like he owned the place. She watched as he "admired" her work.

"Elsa?!" Jack's voice sounded again, and she jumped. She eyed the dark man warily. She knew he had been powerful once, but he was no match for Jack and the other Guardians.

"Oh, it seems we have guests!" Pitch called cheerily. Elsa looked down at him. She didn't like how he appeared completely at ease. It was disconcerting in the worst possible way.

"Elsa!" Jack's voice sounded relieved, and close. She turned, and was immediately caught within his embrace. She only allowed herself to relax slightly. "Thank god! How was it?" he asked hurriedly.

"Jack, he's he-!" Elsa started frantically, clutching at his arms.

"Pitch!" North shouted from behind them, storming angrily into the room. She gaped up at him. He looked even taller in her small palace. The big man was glaring down at the dark figure below. Just having North nearby made her feel better. The man, with his size and his glare (and sword), was even more intimidating than the person below.

"How wonderful to see you all again!" Pitch sneered. "Though I do think a few of you are missing. How's the Sandman? Still angry at our little tiff?"

Jack pushed Elsa behind him, glaring furiously at Pitch. "He's been doing damn better ever since your powers became forfeit," he growled. Elsa shifted uncomfortably as she peered around Jack. She knew she was a pawn in this situation, and she was afraid of being used against her friends.

"Oh Jack, I thought you were the fun one! Don't tell me Bunny took your place?" Pitch taunted. Ice formed at Jack's feet and Elsa's eyes widened. Jack was always so in control. He must be furious.

"What do you want with her?" Jack demanded.

"You mean your precious little snow queen?" Pitch mused. "Her powers are much more…unreliable than others, and her fear is just so delightfully potent. I could thrive off it for years." He sighed, eyeing Elsa with a grin. Elsa shrank away from his gaze. He chuckled.

Jack took a step forward, and ice shot from the end of his staff. Pitch swirled for a moment, vanishing and reappearing five feet to the left, avoiding Jack's attack. He rolled his eyes. "Really Jack? I thought your aim would have improved over the years. I suppose I was wrong."

"You will not have her!" Elsa couldn't see Jack's face, but she knew he was fuming.

Pitch smiled again. "Oh, but you see Jack. I already do. I've had her from the moment you gave her the powers. You did this Jack…for me! And I just wanted to thank you, as a fellow Guardian," he mocked.

It was North's turn to direct his fury at the dark man. "You are no Guardian, Pitch."

"I will not help you," Elsa declared, feeling her rage start up again. This man, this…villain, thought he could control her? She was a queen, fear or not. She would not be manipulated.

Pitch put a hand to his forehead in mock dismay. "Oh but you will. If you ever want to see your sister again that is."

Darkness poured from his hands, forming shapes like Sandy did. Only she could clearly make out who they were. She watched as Anna and the man she was with fell, down, down, down…until she hit the bottom. The image dispersed as they hit. "Anna!" Elsa cried, moving towards where the darkness had faded. No, Anna couldn't be hurt. She wasn't sure she could bear it if she lost her sister and she hadn't been there to do anything.

Jack grabbed for her, trying to pull her back. "Elsa, no!"

Something whizzed past her face, embedding itself in Jack's arms. He grunted in pain before falling back, and Elsa screamed. She moved to help him when another arrow shot in front of her face. She gasped.

"Go!" Jack shouted to her, getting to his feet. She looked between him and the two men that had just forced their way into her castle. "Elsa, run! We'll try to hold them off!" She could see North already racing into battle. Pitch looked at ease, glancing between the three of them as if he were watching a melodrama.

"Help has arrived," he breathed. She looked at the two men as they began charging towards her.

Elsa hesitated, watching Jack fearfully. "It's okay, snowflake," he said to her, more softly this time. "I'll meet you upstairs after I deal with Pitch and these two. We'll get back to North's workshop I promise. I'm fine."

Biting her lip, she took his advice and ran upstairs, hating that she had to leave him when he was hurt. She heard the sounds of their battle with Pitch, and it drowned out the sound of the footsteps following her. When she made it upstairs, she was too late to realize she was cornered. The two men were circling her, aiming their weapons at her. Her breath caught. One of them raised his crossbow. She flung her hands out to cover her face.

She heard the sound of the release, the sound the arrow made as it whisked through the air, and then…she opened her eyes to see the weapon entrenched in her ice. She stared at it in shock, not surprised that her powers had worked, but that they had protected her.

The man who had shot her was reloading his bow, and she waved her hand at him. She watched, shocked again as the man was pinned to the wall by her power. The other man had circled behind her. She flung her hand out at him too, knocking his weapon away and trapping him with her ice. He was backed into the door, and it shattered as she pressed him closer and closer to the edge. She was terrified to the point where she couldn't stop.

"Elsa!" she heard Hans call out. "Don't be the monster they think you are!"

She stopped dead, her powers coming to a jarring stop. Her thoughts instantly flew to Jack. "Oh god…" she breathed. "Jack?!" she cried, turning back to where the room led downstairs.

There was no answer.

"Elsa!" a dark, sing-song voice called out to her. Her heart clenched, and she whirled around to see Pitch standing there. She wasn't sure what else was going on, there was shouting that much she was certain of, and she could only watch as Pitch waved his hand. The sound of shattering ice filled the room, and she looked up to see her chandelier plummeting right towards her. "Catch!" he hissed as it grew nearer.

She grabbed her dress, sprinting as fast as she could towards the door, towards Jack. Or at least where he should be. She wasn't sure what she'd do if he was hurt worse. Her breathing was haggard, and she began to feel like her own life was hanging in the balance. She wasn't going to make it, she wasn't going to-

The chandelier pierced through the floor and she felt herself losing her footing. She cried out as she went down, and remembered nothing else.


	9. Chapter 9: A prince and a prisoner

Elsa was awoken by the sound of a large, heavy door opening. Her eyes flew wide and she jerked to her feet, the thin blanket she was covered in falling to the ground. Her gaze first flew to the window, where she finally witnessed her handiwork. The fjord was completely frozen. "No," she breathed. Panic seized her again. What were they going to do with her?

She suddenly felt foolish. They were going to kill her that's what.

She turned to see Hans standing behind her. He looked the same as he had the day she'd originally met him, only his eyes had a darkness swirling within them she had never seen before. "Hans you have to let me go," she implored. She moved towards him, but realized her hands had been shackled. She gazed at them in shock and horror.

Hans sighed. "Pitch wouldn't be happy." The icy chill of the room wasn't bothering Elsa, but it was clearly having an effect on him. Ice had formed on the walls of the cell she was in and she was positive that it was because of her.

"Why do you care if Pitch is happy or not?" Elsa countered.

"Money. Power. A chance to be a king. A chance I NEVER would have had if I had sat on the sidelines and allowed my brothers continue to walk over me like they had for years," he growled fiercely. "You don't get it Elsa. You were always paid attention to, always a queen. You've never been ignored or maltreated." He paused his rant to move towards her. He gripped her chin, holding her face so that she was looking directly into his eyes. "Now you'll do whatever we ask of you whenever we ask for it. We'll have the power, and you…well, you'll just be another pretty face doing our bidding."

He released her roughly, throwing her to the floor. She hit her cheek against the side of the wooden pallet she had been laying on, and hissed as it cut across her skin. But she couldn't afford to consider her own wellbeing. There were others involved who couldn't necessarily defend themselves against the evil force of Pitch and his minions.

"Where's my sister?" Elsa demanded. "Where's Jack and Anna?"

She found the strength to get to her feet, surging towards him as far as the chains would allow her, but he had already moved away from her. Hans paused at the door, turning back to roll his eyes at her like she was a misbehaving child. "Your sister hasn't returned since she's set out looking for you, thank goodness. She was driving me crazy. As for Jack…I'm sure Pitch has handled him and his friends. He doesn't tell me everything you know."

Elsa was in shock for a few moments while her heart shattered into pieces. Anna hadn't come back. If the vision Pitch had shown her was true-

No, she wouldn't think like that. Anna was strong. But there was still Jack. He was hurt, and if Pitch managed to take advantage of him while he was vulnerable…she shuddered. She couldn't afford to think like that either. She had to focus on getting out of here and fixing this mess.

Hans's laughter echoed off the walls on the dungeon as he shut the door. It ran along her spine in haunting reverberations. She was becoming desperate, and that desperation turned to her powers growing more and more out of control. Even through the thick walls she could hear the wind blowing outside. She could see the ice forming in even greater quantities on the walls, on the chains. She was going to lose it, and this time she welcomed it.

"Elsa!"

The voice, a familiar and welcome one, made her start. She was grabbed from behind and whirled around to face Jack. "Oh god!" she cried. "You're alive!" A few of the pieces of her heart found their way back together, though the fear and desperation were still doing a very good job of eating a new hole through it.

"Of course I am," he chuckled in her ear. She felt the chains fall from her wrists and he pulled back so that he could look at her. He frowned when he saw the cut marring her cheek and ran his fingertips over it, but otherwise said nothing. "We're going to get you out of here."

Before she could protest, or say anything for that matter, Jack was kissing her. She froze in surprise before responding, kissing him back with equal fervor until she found herself being pulled out through a hole in the wall. That most certainly hadn't been there before, though she suspected Jack had created it for their escape. She could hear voices through the door on the other side of the cell. The others had come for her, she realized, and it was probably to kill her.

Jack heard them too, and pulled her closer to him, shielding her from the wind with his cloak. The cold didn't bother her, but with all the wind a blizzard had formed, and she figured Jack was probably afraid of losing her to the strong currents they were forming. "Are you doing this?" Jack whispered to her. The question made her jump.

Her eyes widened. "I-I don't know," she stammered.

Jack took her hand in his. "Elsa you have to calm down, okay? Everything is going to be fine. Pitch won't be able to hurt you anymore, and we'll figure everything out." His reassuring tone almost convinced her, but her sister's condition was still nagging at her. She almost needed to make sure Anna was okay.

"I need to find Anna first," Elsa insisted.

Jack shook his head. "We can find her later. I need to make sure you're safe Elsa." His tone was clipped, voice harsh.

She gazed back at him. That didn't sound like Jack. Then she saw his eyes turn black. She gasped, yanking her arm from his grip and staggering backwards. "You aren't Jack!"

The faux Jack laughed darkly before fading completely into dark snow that was carried along by the blizzard. It looked more like the aftermath of a volcanic eruption than a blizzard now. Horrifying creatures were spun from the darkness, horrifying memories, horrifying possibilities… it was driving Elsa mad. They all swirled around her, grabbing at her hair, her dress, her skin. Some of them charged at her before dissipating, leaving her in a cloud of darkness that made her cough. She stumbled around, trying to escape this. She could no longer see in front of her, and she felt like she was going to go mad.

"Leave me alone, Pitch!" she screamed finally. She could feel her knees weakening under the mental and emotional strain he was causing.

"Elsa!" a voice called from the depths of the blizzard. A figure zoomed forward, surrounding her with their arms and pulling her close to their chest. It was Jack again. She immediately began struggling. He wasn't real, she kept telling herself. Elsa couldn't bring herself to look into his eyes. She didn't want to see that kind of darkness in the eyes of a person she cared so much about.

"G-get off me!" she cried, shoving against him as hard as she could. Jack didn't relent, and simply allowed her to struggle hopelessly for a few moments before she calmed down slightly. "You're not real," she accused. The darkness continued to swirl around them, but it seemed to back off a little bit.

Jack's eyes narrowed in confusion. "Elsa, it's me. It's really me, I promise you snowflake."

She shook her head, turning away from him. "You're lying. You're just another one of Pitch's demons!"

Jack's expression turned furious. He noticed the scratch on her cheek and he darkened even further. His hand swiped through his hair angrily before he ran his fingertips over the wound. "Did he hurt you? I swear Elsa, if he hurt you I'll-!"

"Stop! Stop pretending! I don't want to do this anymore!" she begged. Jack still refused to let her go.

"What do I have to say to get you to believe me?" he murmured. "Okay, so on your second day at North's workshop, you walked in on Bunny while he-"

Elsa flushed. Relief and embarrassment shot through her at the same time, and she nodded quickly. "Ok! I believe you! Please stop!" Only the real Jack would've known that. Pitch might be able to create a visage of Jack, but he didn't have the memories they had created together.

She collapsed into him. "Jack," she said weakly. She could feel his concerned gaze on her. "Jack, I need to find my sister."

"I'm getting you out of here," he replied. She could almost hear him grinding his teeth together.

She shook her head. "No, I have to find her. I need to find her Jack. I need to know that she's okay!"

He still didn't look convinced. She buried her face into his chest and took a deep breath. Just being near him made her feel calmer, but the sensation of eyes following her prevented the unease from completely leaving her. Someone else was here, and Jack's arms tightened as he sensed this too. "Jack," she gasped out. "We have to find Anna first. I can't bear to leave her behind again."

"Oh your sister?" Hans' voice made her freeze. She turned in Jack's arms to stare at the man who had done nothing but bring their family an immense amount of trouble. His dark eyes pierced into her, and an evil smile twisted his lips. She knew that whatever he was going to tell her was going to be bad.

"Your sister's dead, Elsa. You killed her."


	10. Chapter 10: The meaning of love

Everything was moving slowly. She could hear Jack's voice, but she couldn't hear anything he was saying. It faded to a dull buzz in the back of her mind. Her breath came and went in short pants, and arms surrounded her just as she collapsed to the ground.

There was only pain. It shot through her like a knife even though she knew she was completely unharmed, and one-thousand wishes formed in her mind. She wished she'd never been given these powers. She wished that Anna hadn't come after her. But mostly she wished she could trade places with her sister. She hadn't deserved anything that had happened.

"Elsa! Elsa, come on! Look at me please!" she heard a voice pleading with her even through the abyss she had managed to fling herself into.

She looked up to see Jack staring at her sadly. He reached down, wishing he could take away all the grief that plagued her. Cupping her cheek in his hand, he brushed the tears that had frozen to her cheeks away. "I'm so sorry, snowflake," he murmured. She was surprised at how easily she could hear him. The storm around them had vanished completely.

It had died with her, she realized. She gazed at Jack, feeling slightly woozy. She couldn't explain why her surroundings were still spinning when she knew the storm had stopped, but if she focused on Jack she found that they stilled. He calmed her.

"We need to get out of here, okay snowflake?" he said softly. "We can figure out what to do then, but for now we need to leave."

She nodded stiffly, still feeling like she was spiraling inwards on herself. Jack reached out a hand towards her and she was just about to take it when his eyes widened in horror. They'd both forgotten that Hans was present.

"_No!" _she heard two people shout simultaneously.

Ice flew from Jack's fingertips, making contact somewhere behind her. There was a loud clang and suddenly everything was silent. Elsa gasped in another breath before slowly turning around. What she saw made a soft cry escape her lips.

"Anna!" she cried. Staggering to her feet, she raced over to take her sister's face in her hands. "No," she breathed, tears forming again. Hans was lying on the ground a few feet away surrounded by the remnants of his sword. He had been ready to kill her, she realized. Hans had lied to them about Anna's death, but now…now she was frozen. She was really gone this time.

Elsa glanced over at Jack, who was still dumbstruck, staring in silent horror at the two of them. Her lip trembled as she took in her sister's form. Hans was going to kill her, but Anna had interfered. She'd tried to save her even after she'd almost killed her twice. Elsa sobbed quietly, throwing her arms around Anna in a hug that she knew she couldn't feel, but one she felt was necessary. She hadn't been this close to her sister in years. This thought brought on a whole new round of tears.

"Elsa…"

She could hear Jack's voice, but, like before, she couldn't acknowledge it. She was too wrapped up in her own sorrow.

"Elsa!"

Warmth blossomed under her fingertips. She pulled back swiftly, staring as something happened to her sister. She could see color, and then movement. It was like a switch flipped in her mind. She no longer believed anything was real because everything was constantly changing. First her sister was dead, then she wasn't, then she actually was, and then there she was living and breathing again.

But, again, she didn't care. "Anna!" she yelled, throwing her arms around her in another hug. She felt arms encircle her in return. Her sister was alive!

Her sister laughed, and Elsa pulled away just so she could stare at her. Somewhere in the back of her mind it registered that the man she had showed up with to her castle was there, too, that Jack was still standing only a few feet away with the silliest expression on his face, and that Hans and Pitch were still probably out there.

But, you guessed it, she didn't care. She was too happy her sister was safe, and that she hadn't been the monster who killed her.

"An act of true love!" a voice gasped from behind them. It had been Olaf.

Elsa smiled warmly. "Love will thaw," she murmured, then grabbed her sister. "Love!"

She let it flow through her easily, without fear. She thought of how much she loved her sister, how much she loved her home, and even how much she…loved Jack. The realization hit her hard, but it brought a smile to her lips. Love felt warm, like someone was giving her a hug. She wanted to feel it a thousand times again after this. She knew her sister loved her, and she knew Jack felt something. For her, that was enough.

The snow around them quickly faded, and—while noting that it was highly convenient there was a ship beneath them—the fjord was swiftly ice-free. The boat rocked easily beneath them, and they watched as snow melted off the rooftops and the townspeople cheered.

"I knew you could do it," Anna giggled, hugging her briefly once more.

After conjuring up Olaf his own flurry (he had pretty much saved Anna in the castle after all), she felt a new hand on her shoulder. She whirled around just as Jack wrapped her in his arms. Elsa buried her face in his shirt, taking a deep breath. Even though everything else had melted, Jack was still the same. Something else she loved about him. Elsa felt like her smile was stuck to her face; she couldn't get rid of it for the life of her.

"I'm so proud of you, snowflake," he mumbled. Her smile widened as she reached up to press a kiss to his cheek. "That's all I get?!" he scoffed, giving her a wink. She rolled her eyes.

"For now," she countered with her own sly look. He was a bad role model, and he chuckled at her teasing response.

She extricated herself from his grasp again as she saw Anna standing with the blonde guy from earlier. He had a huge reindeer with him. The two of them shared a long look before Anna strode over to the other side of the boat.

Hans, Elsa realized with a shock. He was on the boat too. She should have figured, but she also couldn't help having wished he'd just gotten washed away with the rest of the ice and snow. She saw Jack's scowl, but grabbed his hand before he stormed over there to deal with Hans himself. Elsa knew that Anna had to deal with that betrayal on her own. It wasn't their place. She ran her thumb over the back of Jack's hand, trying to soothe him. It seemed to work, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

Hans looked confused to say the least upon Anna's advance. Elsa couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could guess it was about her apparent non-death. She was surprised, and proud, to see her sister turn from him and walk away without inflicting any sort of physical damage.

Hans seethed. "Pitch will come for her!" he shouted, pointing directly at Elsa. Dread flooded through her as Jack pulled her closer, shielding her with his body. She knew this wasn't over. Hans grinned wickedly. "He's not done with you all yet. He'll come! You watch, he-!"

Before he could finish, Anna had turned, pulled back her arm, and let it loose. A crunching noise signaled her making contact with his jaw. He toppled backwards, tumbling over the side of the ship. He landed in the water with a loud splash. Elsa couldn't help but feel satisfied with that. One down, one to go, yet Pitch still hadn't appeared yet. Maybe he'd decided he was outnumbered and outmatched by now.

Anna made a beeline for Elsa, hugging her again before giving her back to Jack, who she noted with raised eyebrows. Elsa ignored it and sighed contentedly. For now they were all fine.

They all stood together: Elsa, Jack, Anna, Olaf, and the blonde guy and his reindeer. As weird a group of people as they were, they were all just perfect for Elsa at the moment. She would have been fine if the Duke of Weselton were here if that meant the people she loved were also present. She blushed as she glanced over at Jack who still held her hand.

"_Bullseye_."

Elsa heard the whispered remark before she felt the fear. She turned to see an onyx, jagged piece of ice hurtling towards Jack. She released his hand just in time to push him out of the way of Pitch's final attack. Agony briefly scorched through her. Her ears rang, and Jack's powers swirled vehemently around them. Gravity did its work on her and she tumbled through space towards the wooden deck of the ship.

In that moment she knew what Anna had been thinking when she'd leapt in front of Hans. She knew what Anna had been feeling. In that moment she had taken her life into her own hands and gave it away just like that because she knew Jack was someone she loved. It didn't matter that they'd just met. She could have known him for years, did practically know him for years due to her dreams. It still didn't matter. She loved him just the same.

She didn't even feel pain. She didn't feel hot or cold, happy or sad. She felt content. As she stared up at the moon—it was funny how you could still see it during the day sometimes—she pictured it welcoming her with open arms into a new life filled with laughter and friends and simplicity.


	11. Chapter 11: The Awakening

"Snowflake…"

The words were a whisper on her skin, a mere numbness in her mind. She counted every heartbeat, every breath, and wondered if they were hers or someone else's. She guessed they were hers since they were so loud.

"Will she be okay?" This voice was different from the one that had spoken before.

"I think so," the other voice replied.

The voices were either somewhere nearby or coming from her head. She had the same questions, but she didn't remember opening her mouth in order to actually ask them. But the voices sounded familiar. They were voices she loved.

"How did she survive?"

There was a pause. Her ears strained to hear what they were saying.

"I don't know," the other voice finally said.

She longed to move. She didn't get why she was frozen like this. She wanted to see who was talking, or if it was truly no one at all and she had finally gone over the deep end. Even being able to move a finger would have appeased her, but she remained a perfect statue. She would have given anything to open her eyes and see if she was alone or surrounded by those she loved.

"Is Pitch gone?"

"Yes."

"For good this time?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Pitch…the name registered vaguely in the back of her mind. She knew that name, and she hated that name. If she could have moved she would have frowned. The voices stopped and she was able to revel in how quiet it was for a few moments more before restlessness consumed her once more.

"What is it?" the other voice asked softly. They sounded tired.

She knew the voices weren't addressing her, but she strained to listen all the same. There wasn't anything to do other than think and listen to them. Her mind was blank, completely useless, so she simply listened to the voices. She couldn't remember anything, or even remember if there was anything to remember.

"I just wanted to thank you for everything."

"I'm the reason all of this happened. I was the one who cursed her," the other voice responded sadly.

"You love her," the first voice acknowledged.

"Yeah."

The second voice hadn't even hesitated and for some reason, she felt her heart beat faster at this. She felt warm and not numb and this allowed her to feel comfort as well.

"Thank you, Jack."

_Jack._ It was like a trigger word. Every cell in her body suddenly came alive, and she jerked upright. She gasped in a breath like she had been drowning that whole time. Her eyes flew wide and she blinked quickly as the light assaulted her eyes. She whipped her head around, looking for the source of the voices.

Her eyes met blue ones and her heart melted again like it had before. She threw herself from her sitting position into his lap. "Jack!" she cried, laughing. Relief washed through her as she threw her hands around his neck. "Oh my god, what happened?!"

Elsa had never felt more alive. She could hear her sister's relieved chatter behind her, but she didn't move from her position on Jack's lap. She smiled down at him. He returned her sentiment, but she could see sadness in his eyes as well. Instead of dwelling on it, she kissed him fiercely. She kissed him the way she would have before she'd jumped in front of the ice shard Pitch had tried to kill her with.

But he _hadn't_! She was alive and she couldn't have been more overjoyed!

"Snowflake. Snowflake," he kept murmuring under her lips. His fingertips brushed across her cheek and he grinned boyishly up at her. That was more like it.

"Hey, let me have a turn!" Anna protested from behind them. Elsa leapt off of Jack's lap and turned to attack her sister. They laughed as they hugged each other tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay, Elsa," Anna breathed. Elsa just laughed breathlessly, too happy for words.

She felt Jack squeeze her hand, leaning down to whisper something to her. "We need to talk later."

Elsa turned to face him. "And for now?" she challenged.

He grinned again, raking his white hair back with on hand before reaching down to pull her into his arms and twirl her around.

"For now, we celebrate!"


End file.
